Farah headlines British squad of 78 for London 2017 IAAF World Championships

11 July 2017 / 14:00

Reigning 5,000m and 10,000m world champion Mo Farah will headline British Athletics’ team for the IAAF World Championships in London, from August 4-13.

Farah has not been defeated in a 5,000m or 10,000m race at a major championships since 2011, with the four-time Olympic gold medallist leading a team of 78 British athletes for their home World Championships.

Also selected is reigning long jump world champion and London 2012 gold medallist Greg Rutherford as his bid for fitness continues, while Laura Muir is looking to follow Farah in achieving double success, in the 1500m and 5,000m.

There will also be a double dose of action for Katarina Johnson-Thompson, looking to follow the form that saw her post a heptathlon personal best as recently as May, as she also goes in the long jump.

Performance Director for British Athletics, Neil Black said: “London 2017 is the major global sporting event this year and will be the biggest occasion the country has seen since 2012.

“We’ve selected some incredibly talented athletes, and in many events there have been some close calls. It’s now up to them to grasp this opportunity and produce performances that will make the whole nation proud.”

Farah has very much monopolised the longer distances on the track in recent years, with London 2017 potentially seeing him win over 5,000m for a fourth consecutive Worlds.

A 10,000m would also be a third in succession, having stood on top of the podium at Beijing 2015 and also in Moscow two years previous.

This will also be a swansong Championships for the 33-year-old, announcing his final British track race will come at the Grand Prix in Birmingham on August 20.

Meanwhile Muir – who qualified for the 1500m by winning last season’s Diamond League title – has also proven her form and fitness to be selected for the 5,000m.

The recent Diamond League meeting at the London Stadium also saw her beat Dame Kelly Holmes’ British record, while she became a double European Indoor champion with 1500m and 3,000m gold in Belgrade earlier this year.

London 2012 Olympic champion Rutherford will also return to the scene of his success, though an ankle ligament injury has hampered his preparation to date.

A fourth successive British title was enough for Sophie Hitchon to earn selection and take her place in the hammer, where she will be joined by 2015 world finalist Nick Miller.

Dina Asher-Smith, Olympic bronze medallist at Rio 2016, will return in her triumphant 4x100m event as well as the 200m, while Perri Shakes-Drayton will compete in the 4x400m relay.

This will be Asher-Smith’s first international outing since fracturing her foot in February, while the wait has been even longer for Shakes-Drayton – who will represent British Athletics for the first time since the 2013 World Championships, when she sustained a knee injury.

European indoor hurdle champion Andrew Pozzi will join sprinters CJ Ujah and Zharnel Hughes on the startline, though Robbie Simpson misses out on the marathon due to a calf injury.

Those selected will also get a chance to vote for the British Athletics team captain, due to be announced on July 24.

The British Athletics team for the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London: